What are ingrown beard hairs?
Ingrown beard hairs are tiny, mildly painful pimples from recently-shaved hairs that curve and grow back into your skin. This happens most often in black men with very curly hair. Women who shave their bikini area may get the same kinds of pimples from ingrown hairs.
Image provided by Thomas Habif, MD.
Photo courtesy of Karen McKoy, MD.
What causes ingrown beard hairs?
Ingrown beard hairs are caused by short, sharp hairs curling back and puncturing your skin. Your skin gets irritated and you get a pimple-like bump.
How do doctors treat ingrown beard hairs?
Treatments include:
Having you stop shaving for a while
Applying warm compresses to the ingrown hairs
Releasing the ingrown hairs with a sterile needle or toothpick
Applying corticosteroid or antibiotic creams
Taking antibiotic or corticosteroid pills, if you have severe swelling, redness, and pain
How can I prevent ingrown beard hairs?
One way to prevent ingrown hairs is by not shaving and letting your beard grow, or by removing your beard with:
A liquid or cream hair remover
Electrolysis, which involves destroying hair follicles with electric current
Laser treatments
If you shave, use proper shaving methods:
Wet your beard first
Shave in the direction the hair grows
Avoid using multiple strokes to get an extremely close shave
